Ponyo is...

a little miss!

The appointment went well this morning! Thank you all for the kind messages and prayers; they mean so much to us! Ponyo was very active during the ultrasound. Lots of kicks and somersaults! She had her hands up by her face most of the time so we got a few glimpses of her profile but we did not get any good images of her face. We got to see her rub her eyes and open and close her mouth. Her heart rate was measured at 162 beats per minute (which was probably caused by her activity level). She measured at the 46th percentile, so right on track. At 22 weeks, 4 days she weighs about 1lb 4oz already! Her heart, brain, kidneys, stomach, and other organs all look 'perfect' according to the ultrasound tech and our doctor. When she was not moving around, her feet were up by her head which gave of a good view that she is, indeed, a little girl:)  We are so thankful and relieved that she is healthy and growing! 

And, yes, obviously my husband convinced me to find out the gender! I am glad that we did...it is so fun to be able to say "she" and "her" when we talk about our little one.

Other notes from the appointment:

• I am on track to gain 34-35lbs by the end of this pregnancy (I am up 16lbs already), but Dr. D said that is what I should gain given my pre-pregnancy weight.
• I got a prescription for some medical grade maternity support pantyhose. So, if you ever need them, ask your doctor and hopefully insurance will offset or cover the cost! Now I will have 4 pairs, which will be great!
• I got my flu shot. I was uncertain about whether or not I wanted to, but given the "cesspool of germs" (those are Dr. D's words!) that I work in and the fact that the vaccine I received did not contain the preservative that is considered possibly controversial for pregnant women, I thought the benefits outweighed any risks.
• We will have a follow-up ultrasound in 4 weeks because they couldn't get a good image of the umbilical cord entering Ponyo's abdomen even though from what they could see everything looked fine.

Again, thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers! I pray for all of my blogger friends everyday and am so glad to be part of this supportive community of women!